"Mom left me here... she'll come back for me"
12-year-old girl found outside 'Mall of Ranchi' at 10 PM; no one came to pick her up
Ranchi: A scene witnessed on Thursday night near the main entrance of 'Mall of Ranchi'—located in the Sukhdev Nagar police station area of the capital—has raised serious questions regarding child safety, upbringing, and social responsibility. Amidst the darkness of the night, a girl, aged around 12 or 13, was sitting all alone. She had neither a guardian nor an acquaintance with her. She kept repeating the same thing: "Mom left me here; she'll come back for me..." Yet, as the night deepened, no one arrived to collect her.
When security personnel at the mall spotted the girl, they tried to speak with her. She was visibly terrified and unable to answer questions coherently. When asked why she was sitting there and who was with her, she explained that her "Mom" had left her there, promising to return and take her back. However, after a long wait with no sign of anyone, the mall management took the matter seriously and informed the Sukhdev Nagar police station around 10 PM.
Upon receiving the information, a PCR team arrived at the scene and began questioning the girl. Initially, she could not provide clear details about herself; she was unable to state her address or even the area where she lived. After considerable coaxing and questioning, she finally revealed her name as Madhuri Soni(Changed Name) .
During the questioning, the girl's statements kept changing. At first, she claimed her mother had left her there. Later, she said her father had gone away for work and her mother had passed away. Subsequently, she shared another detail that further complicated the matter: she revealed that she referred to the woman she worked for as "Mom." It was evident from her words that she was mentally distressed or, for some reason, unable to speak openly about the situation. When the police asked if she could lead them to a familiar location, she mentioned that she recognized a friend's house. The PCR team then set out with her. Following the route she indicated, the police arrived at an area behind the Devi Temple and questioned local residents. Some people recognized the girl and stated that she lived in a flat near the 'Lal Hospital'.
Subsequently, the police reached her friend's house. After knocking for quite some time, the occupants provided information about where the girl lived. Meanwhile, neighbors also shared details about her. Locals mentioned that Madhuri also worked at a small shop near the Devi Temple; this revelation raised concerns regarding child labor.
With the help of a local resident, the police located the flat where the girl reportedly lived. Madhuri herself guided them to the flat; she navigated from the basement to the elevator, operated the lift door correctly, and led the group to the third floor. However, a situation arose there that gave the police pause for thought.
Upon reaching the door of the house she had identified, she hesitated to go inside. She stopped right outside the entrance and appeared unwilling to enter. Both the police and the locals sensed that, for some reason, she was uncomfortable about going into that home.
When the door opened, the person inside recognized the girl. He informed the police that his mother had adopted Madhuri during her childhood and that she had no other family of her own. He also mentioned that he lived separately from his mother, who resided in the Upper Bazaar area.
However, the primary question weighing on the police's minds was this: if the girl had been raised there since childhood, why was she abandoned outside the 'Mall of Ranchi' at night, and why did no one return to retrieve her? The matter appears even more suspicious because the police attempted to contact Raju Kumar’s mother via phone but received no response. Eventually, around 11:25 PM, the girl was left at the address she had provided, under the supervision of Raju Kumar’s (name changed) family. The police instructed the family to contact the police station the following morning to provide full details of the situation.
This entire sequence of events raises several serious questions. Was the girl deliberately abandoned outside the mall? Is she a victim of a family dispute? Is she being made to work? And, most importantly, why did she appear reluctant to return to the house where she was staying?
Currently, the Sukhdev Nagar police are investigating the matter. However, the fact that an innocent girl sat alone outside a mall for hours at night—and hesitated to enter the house even after arriving there—suggests that this is no ordinary incident. Madhuri’s silence and her inconsistent statements indicate that it is crucial to get to the bottom of this case.
